


To Calormen and the South

by Elizabeth Culmer (edenfalling)



Category: Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis
Genre: Calormen, Gen, Golden Age (Narnia), Spies & Secret Agents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-06
Updated: 2020-09-06
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:01:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26313829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edenfalling/pseuds/Elizabeth%20Culmer
Summary: How Sallowpad came to travel in the lands south of Narnia.
Comments: 26
Kudos: 34
Collections: Narnia Fic Exchange 2020





	To Calormen and the South

**Author's Note:**

  * For [marmota_b](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marmota_b/gifts).



> As you can see, I completely gave up on anonymity. *hands*

Once the rejoicing wound down and the army returned to their homes, Narnians began to discover that the Winter's end was not an unmixed blessing. A hundred years of tyranny had worn away all but the barest vestiges of organized government -- unless one took over the Witch's methods wholesale, which of course hardly anyone wished to do. A hundred years of ice and thaw had flooded, shattered, uprooted, and buried nearly all roads and bridges, which made moving resources murderously tricky. A hundred years of magically locked borders had left the north sadly undefended against the renewed raids of the Ettinsmoor giants, and the southwest sadly undefended against mountain kingdoms less friendly than Archenland.

As for what lay beyond those immediate neighbors, scarcely anyone could remember -- and while information from Archenland was welcomed with open grasp, it was always best, Sallowpad thought, to see the lay of the land for oneself.

"You wish to lead an embassy to Calormen?" Queen Susan said when the young Raven explained his plans. "I don't know if we have the resources to muster a group that looks fine enough for a great empire not to laugh us out of their court."

"Not an embassy," Sallowpad said. "That will come later, when more humans have returned from their exiles -- one always feels most at home with one's own kind, as the saying goes, and that seems especially true for the Children of Adam and Eve. I want to explore in secret so we'll know who to send with the embassy and what they should bring and say. Nobody notices a lone raven in the sky, or hopping about on a branch."

"That's true," Queen Susan agreed, "but I'm told that Talking Beasts don't live anywhere south of Archenland. And that means it's also true that no Calormene will think twice before shooting a lone raven for any reason whatsoever. They won't see you as a person."

Sallowpad still didn't have much grasp on judging human ages, but something about the way the queen's hands clenched in the shimmering satin of her skirts made her seem a fledging only just departing the nest, unsure how to navigate her newly enlarged world. It was strange to feel like the elder brother in a conversation with someone so much larger than he was.

"Thank you for your concern, your majesty, but if I couldn't dodge arrows, I would be dead four times over," Sallowpad said.

"Even so, I'd feel better if you took a companion," Queen Susan said. "Perhaps a Beast, to gather a ground-level view of the country that will complement your view from above. Two can guard each other's backs in difficult places, and even if one falls, the other may return to tell the story."

Sallowpad cocked his head and considered the queen's suggestion. He hadn't thought about a companion, but it was a reasonable idea, and might also stave off the loneliness of being so far from his homeland.

"You make a strong case," he said. "I think I know someone who would be pleased to accompany me. Shall I bring her here for your approval, or can we depart directly from her home?"

Queen Susan bit her lip, then very carefully and deliberately relaxed her face and hands. "I think, in this case, it's best if I and my siblings know as little as possible about your journey. That way if you're caught, they can honestly say they knew nothing, and I can at least disavow any knowledge of the detail or of your companion. I give you my blessing, and may Aslan guard and guide your path."

"Your majesty is wise," Sallowpad said, and bobbed his head in respect.

Queen Susan flushed, and smiled. " _You_ are wise," she said. "Nobody else thought of-- of scouting out the world beyond our borders, though that knowledge may be vital to keeping Narnia safe and free. I look forward to hearing the tale of what you and your companion find in Calormen, and to your safe return."

\---------------

"Spying on Calormen?" Eena Flyflick said, ears tilted forward with interest.

"Scouting," Sallowpad corrected.

"Spying," Eena said with a stamp of her right forehoof. "My dam spied on the White Army for years before they caught and disemboweled her. I know what spying is, and it's best to use the right words from the start so we won't get turned around about what we're doing."

Sallowpad irritably resettled his wings. "As you say. Are you willing to accompany me on a spying mission south of Archenland? As far as anyone knows, the southerners believe all Talking Beasts are demons, so they'll either try to capture you as a stray or kill you as an abomination. Will you risk those fates to serve Narnia?"

"To serve Narnia, no. To learn about Calormen, absolutely," Eena said. "Can you imagine a country where humans are the only Talking People? No Birds, no Beasts, no Beings? What sort of country grows when the trees and waters slumber, and no one can speak for their dumb cousins? It sounds like a nightmare, and yet the Archenlanders say the land of Calormen is very rich and beautiful, and their culture, though often harsh and brutal, is beautiful in equal measure. It strikes me as the kind of land the Witch might have built if she'd cared for anything besides power and spite. Doesn't that sound fascinating?"

"I would say ominous."

"That too," Eena conceded. "Nothing the Witch did was benign. But the Winter _was_ beautiful sometimes, in the midst of all its cruelty. I want to see if summer can be the same."

That wasn't entirely the motivation Sallowpad had expected, but he supposed it would serve. "Very well," he said. "We have Queen Susan's approval, on the condition that if we are caught, we reveal nothing, and she will say naught to her brothers and sister so they can truthfully disavow all knowledge of our journey. A Donkey and a Raven are not the most traditional scouts--"

"Spies," Eena corrected.

"--not the most traditional _spies_ ," Sallowpad allowed, "but I trust we will serve. Will you need any supplies, or shall we set off as-is?"

Eena snorted and flicked her tail. "A Horse would need oats and water and all manner of nonsense, but we Donkeys are hardier folk. If we spend more than a day or two in true desert, I'll need you to search for water, but aside from that I'll do fine. I fear no thistle or thorn. Can you say as much, with your black feathers in the unshadowed sun?"

"The wind will bring me relief, should I need it, and I've heard the desert is filled with lizards and insects, to say nothing of the corpses of less wary travelers. I'll do fine."

Eena huffed in amusement. "You Ravens are always so dramatic. But I'll take you at your word. If we're both agreed, then let's waste no more time. To Calormen and the South!"

"To Calormen and the South," Sallowpad echoed. "And then, Aslan willing, home to Narnia and the North."

He launched himself from his perch as Eena began trotting southward, across the broad green stretch of their home toward the unknown lands beyond.

**Author's Note:**

> This wanted to be the first chapter of a long action/adventure/spy story, which I did not have the time or energy (or, frankly, enough of a plot) to write... but hopefully someday the details will come to me and I'll tell you the story of how Sallowpad was shot as a grain-thief and Eena was captured as a stray, and how they saved each other and came safely home again.


End file.
